Seabiscuit
Overview Seabiscuit is an Academy Award-nominated 2003 American drama film based on the best-selling book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The story recounts the life and racing career of Seabiscuit, an undersized and overlooked thoroughbred race horse whose unexpected successes made him a hugely popular sensation in the United States near the end of the Great Depression. The film follows the book fairly closely, albeit taking the usual "Hollywood biography" liberties with times and places here and there in order to compress the presentation. David McCullough's narration gives the film somewhat of a "documentary" feel and adds to the drama of the story. There are also many horseracing scenes in which the camera is placed among the jockeys, giving the audience a realistic sense of "riding along" with the horses. Plot Summary Major Themes A World Where Everything was Possible (USA) (We can be anything we choose to become -- message of the Gita) Risk Taking Overcoming Obstacles; rising above adversity Having the Heart and Passion that overcomes all Self-Givingness Optimism; unfettered by disappointment Teamwork Willingness to do anything to succeed (e.g. any job no matter how low) Courage Hope and Encouragement (of the society above; of Howard to others) All pulling together (the 3 for the one goal of success; the society and the individual during the great depression) Being non-judgemental and tolerant (As Howard is) Life response from self-givingness, optimism, etc. Power of accomplishment through positive attitude, that all was possible, compassion, being non-judgmental, hard work, overcoming obstacles, etc. Be careful of negative influences (and how one attracts them) (When one rises there are forces that tend to pull us down; we must be careful of them. Hey come from outside and from within, e.g. reckless behavior) Need for equality in the face of success (or difficulty) (premature celebration cancels)(energy build up) Going beyond appearance (Seabiscuit was small, yet had great inner resources; Red Pollard was too heavy as jockey) Power of determination (to rise out of adversity) (both jockey and horse are injured, yet stage a successful comeback) Being flexible in changing circumstance promote success. The transformations of the characters -- including the emotional changes through which each of the characters progresses. How it was a society that enabled one to rise from failure. How these three individuals are able to put failure behind them. Individuality is supported in society (e.g. beyond just mass production). How heroes are made. The victory of horse is symbolic of people's needs to overcome the struggle of the Great Depression. Developing right strategies for success; using psychological insight (as Charlesdoes in setting up races with eastern owners. The negative forces in society (that are anachronisms, or arrogant as are the eastern owners), or are cynical about the emerging positives(e.g. of he new western riders; whose greed enables the Great Depression) The negative in one's life serves the positive. (Death of Charles'son) Power of values (Tom's values of compassion and redemption. Charles' of optimism and forgiveness. The Social Context Character Analysis *Charles Howard -A wealthy man who has been through personal tragedy. -A businessman. -He buys Seabiscuit. -He hires Tom Smith to train the horse. *Tom Smith -A down-on-his-luck cowboy. -An anachronism in one sense -- a 19th century cowboy made obsolete by growing development an d the automobile -He is hired by Howard hires to train Seabiscuit. *Red Pollard -A washed up ex-boxer. -a hard-living bundle of anger -He is thought to be too big to be a jockey. *Seabiscuit -A small, muscular horse. -dismissed as worthless -his indomitable will. Human Accomplishment The Character of Life Plot Details with Commentary *'Mass production is great, but it also engenders conformity. Charles is alerted that he can break out of it. “Make a better spoke.” That’s the creative instinct that enables his success.' It’s a value that’s higher than physical organization. It is a movement toward individuality and creativity. “It was a land of opportunity.” The different spoke was not only a metaphor for Charles’ own way through by starting a bicycle store, but was an actual reality he created -- i.e. the spokes that are in a bicycle. His bicycle shop venture didn’t succeed at first. Yet still it became a vehicle for a vast opportunity that came his way. (Again, it was a land of opportunity. Of positive atmosphere of infinite potential.) *'Charles had a can-do attitude; that in essence internally matched or reflected the land of opportunity.' Than attitude enabled him to try to fix a car when he was working at the bicycle shop, when he had never looked inside one before. Since he needed the money, he thought why not? He was resourceful as well, as were the people of the land. (They had the knowledge of European society in them to easily create a new world, a better one, more pure.) Whether he ultimately fixed it properly or nor, that act opened up a whole new career for him. In this environment, and with his open consciousness, everything becomes a possibility for success -- even failure. In Silicon Valley, they "encourage" an atmosphere where failure is tolerated. It leads to Apples and Googles and more that change the world. (In fact, most of these early events in the story for Charles took place in Northern California, where the open land made everything seemed possible.) *Taking the initiative on the bicycle shop (that was failing) brought him to the front of the store (seeking out customers, anyone (!)), where the broken down car pulled up that enabled him to rise to the next level. (It was an atmosphere where everything was possible; where the negative (bicycle shop failure) became the “vehicle” (literally, figuratively, metaphorically) for the next great development in his career. *Tom was like a horse whisperer (see Robert Redford film) where he talks quietly to the horse to tame them and calm them down. It is the power of silence. It not only heals, but it attracts (good fortune). *Red’s early childhood. ‘The heroism we recite would be.’ The poetry expressed here becomes a predecessor of events that would follow. His father even says that Toby riding the horse is the real poetry. It is an externalization of a vision of beauty that has a power to affect life in the future.Red’s family is willing to take a risk with their child (Red), allowing him to join the horse raising tour. (This symbolizes and is a predecessor of the risks taken throughout the film, that engenders great success.) It is a nation of risk takers (which creates heroes and pioneers). *Charles’ son dies in a car crash. He is devastated. The negative serves a purpose, to spur us on. What was life's purpose here? To drive him forward to create great victories through the horse that would inspire the nation at a time of darkness and poverty. To enable him to put his energies elsewhere -- in Seabiscuit and the people around him; to overcome resistance of others -- instead of his family does his son die. Life often moves to the greater Good, through pain and the negative. (Though if we are more conscious, we can do so through positive means instead.) The negative from the highest view is merely a more intense form of the positive.) (Also: If he was to help heal the people of the US through the success of Seabiscuit, then somehow he had to relate to their pain. Crash is also the dark side of cars, i.e. of technology -- something we still have not dealt considering the tremendous number of accidents on highways today. Was Charles negligent leaving his son behind?) *Tom. He was even willing to take a horse with a fractured leg, which brought silence to their first meeting. (The power of silence to attract again.) Also he showed a willingness to work with anything. (Maximum realization of a horse resource?!?) In the times of the Depression you try to make due with anything available, especially if you are hobo on the open road. Tom taking care of the horse with broken leg attracts Charles, which changes Tom’s life. This is profound. It is Life Response! Tom takes care of the horse because as he says “you can’t throw a life away because it is banged up.” It is a value that would carry forth into modern western life where we care about those who are crippled -- even making a full effort to make them productive in society. It is a value that is beginning emerging in the times of the Great Depression (through the people’s mass suffering). *'“It’s not just the speed, but the heart.”' It is something that won’t run away from a fight. (Again, analogous to the American spirit or the human spirit during the Great Depression.) *'Red. He was willing to take the lowest job on the totem pole of walking the horses in circles -- a monotonous work -- in order to serve. And so Tom, looking for a horse for Jeff, suddenly appears on the scene, and meets him.' (Tom’s willingness to take any job, even the lowest attracts a powerful Life Response that changes the course of events. This is somewhat analogous to Dee Hock searching through the garbage, a low job for a former big executive, that led to him founding the new forms of credit card through VISA that changed the course of financial history.) It is life response. *Seabiscuit had a gentle nature -- mirroring the quietude of Tom’s horse-whispering. *(48:28) A synchronicity followed by intuition: Tom sees Seabiscuit angry and Red in a fight at the same time (i.e. a synchronicity perceived). He then links the two (for Red to later ride the horse), which is an intuition. *(49:30) Red has had a rough life, including as a fighter who rarely won, and thus is not afraid of Seabiscuit who is angry. He relates to the horse’s anger. It is not their essential nature, but due to their hard life, to Seabiscuit being mistreated, to life mistreating Red, they feel this way. This association calms down the horse (as it is being treated well by Red). *(53:00+) Because Red can relate to the horse, it performs beyond all expectations when he rides it to get it back to its natural state in the country after it has been abused -- i.e. after it was only trained to keep up with and motivate other horses to ride fast - an unnatural sate for Seabiscuit. (It is life responding.) *(55:01) Red coming to Charles is the bringing of his dead son back to him. Charles also becomes the father that Red left years ago (and with his blessing) to become a jockey (when things were so bad in the depression). Thus, Charles and Red are fulfilling a hole in one another’s lives. *(56:00) Red and Tom caring about the horse mirrors government/FDR caring about the state of the people. (It gives them hope, energizes them; as the horse is energized.) This might be the one great social insight of the story. *(58:00) Tom discusses strategies to calm down the horse (?) *(1h:06) Red is mad because his parents never contacted him, and over the years he has been through so many difficult ordeals. That anger causes him to lose the race at Tanforan. (Negative life response.) *(1h:08) Yet Charles is understanding and inquires into why he is so angry. Charles help Red get to the root of the things. Seabiscuit then wins his first major race. It is a powerful life response, indicating the power of self-givingness, calm, forgiveness.) *The author links the heart of the horse (and Red) to the new heart of the situation in the country. Charles says that the horse has great heart, like people in the country. *“Though he be but little, he is fierce.” (Shakespeare). Though the country has little good news, and is reduced in the current situation, it fiercely wants to improve itself -- especially now that the gov’t/FDR cares; i.e. especially as the horse perceives others around it that care. The little horse becomes a metaphor for society. *(1h:13) "A rags to riches story".Sometimes beings just need a second chance. (I.e. Seabiscuit; as well as the people now in the country.) *Charles – the power of a strategy to resolve a problem (to lure the reluctant eastern horse owners to come out to the west coast to race. He is smart and uses the power of money to lure them out, because he perceives that that is what they ultimately relate to). *(1h:23) Red loses the race (comes in second), yet once again Charles forgives him, is understanding, in particular when he finds out that Red is blind in one eye. (This goodness will come around to win the day for Charles in the big race later on.) We could say self-giving behavior is what evokes the life response of the victory in the big race later on. Red losing the race here is also a predecessor of the injury that keeps him out of the big race. *(1h:26) Charles maintains a positive attitude all along, which energizes the community around him, mirroring FDR’s positive attitude in the face of the Depression. Perhaps we can say that the vibration of the society is supporting the vibration of this horse story, including this positive attitude connection. *Charles is also determined; has a never say die attitude. (The power of intention.) Charles is a very nice case study for The Secret and Life Response. *(1h:38) “War Admiral is a superior horse with superior breeding,” says the owner of the horse. He (the owner) represents the arrogant forces that helped precipitate the Great Depression in the first place; that looked down on the common man, who had not yet fully come into his own. CM will however triumph, despite the mess the financiers (of the upper class) created to unleash the Great Depression. *(1h:40) “Let Seabiscuit look him in the eye,” then he will take off. Translation for society: let the common man see what the well-bred financiers have done, which will motivate the common man to overcome their difficult plight. (This is a subconscious ideal f the author expressing in the story.) *Question: Why does Red get injured before the big race (i.e. from a consciousness point of view)? What was that earlier connection (with that person who caused the injury when Red rode his horse)? *The man who came to ask the favor of Red was a symbol of failure; who had years earlier told Red he could not win. on, Red went looking for the man; and this person said Toby couldn’t succeed. That was the predecessor for the injury. *Maybe the replacement for Red is simply the better jockey; or the right jockey to win. He weighs less, and has less mental baggage. Someone with a less negative consciousness (in terms of held back negative energy about the past) was required for him to win. (Analogy -- The county was ready to move on with a purer positive emotion; not the angry emotion towards those who had ruined the society?] *Red absorbed the shock of negativity. Later on, the horse came up lame so he could be back with Red. (They both now have bad legs! And on the same side!)Charles listens, and gives in to others who feel that Red needs to ride Seabiscuit. Charles cares about Red’s health, AND he listens to others. He makes the contradictions complements. It’s worse for Red to have a broken heart than a broken leg. He wins on the comeback. *(2h:11) Everyone helped one another in the story. (Also in society.) All elements in the society pulled together to overcome their plight. *The unity of the Individual, the Universal, and Transcendent. We can all learn from the individual and social story to bring about the next stages of human unity. The little horse itself had heart – the ability to rise above all adversity and become a champion. It is something we can all learn from to help us achieve our fondest dreams in life. Other Aspects Inexplicable Aspects of the Story Points for explanation # News of the Great Crash comes just as Howard announced the glorious future of America. # The death of Howard's young son secretly driving a truck on a mountain rode. # Howard's wife blames him for the boys death and soon leaves him. # Marcela, a young attractive Mexican woman, befriends a lonely, grieving Howard while he is mourning his lost son in Tijauana. # A horse trainer recognizes Red's talent and offers him a job when his impoverished family is living in a welfare camp. # Aging unemployed horse trainer, Tom Smith, saves a horse with a broken leg from being shot and then nurses the horse back to health. Later that horse becomes a soothing companion to high tempered Seabiscuit. # Howard recognizes the talent in Smith and hires him to find and train a race horse. # Though coming from distinquished thoroughbred stock, Seabiscuit is maligned as too small and too lazy to succeed, beaten by a renowned trainer until he is too ornery to race and then deputed as a # Smith recognizes the strong spirit in Seabiscuit's eyes the first time he sees him. # Red loses the record purse of $100,000 at Santa Anita. # Red's old employer asks him for an apparently inoccuous favor -- to breeze a losing horse -- just before the match race with War Admiral and Red agrees with a sense of magnanimity to a former boss who had not failed to recognize his talens and had never done him any favors. The sudden burst of sound from the tractor causes the horse to bolt and throw Red, then drag him around resulting in multiple fractures to his leg that make it doubtful whether he will ever walk again and evident that he can never again race. # Seabiscuit injuries his ligament in the first race after beating War Admiral. # Seabiscuit's injury mirrors Red's. The doctors predict neither will ever race again. # Red and Seabiscuit both recover from apparently career ending injuries to win again. Unanswered Questions # Why did Howard's son die in the car crash? 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